This invention relates to the field of gaming, and provides a system and method which enhances the entertainment value of a game. The invention is especially adapted for use with, but not necessarily limited to, lottery-based games.
Conventional gaming machines employ direct mapping between the symbols displayed to the player, and the award paid out. As used in this specification, the term xe2x80x9cdirect mappingxe2x80x9d means that the system first determines the displayed symbol, and then maps that symbol to an award level. A simple example of a conventional direct-mapped gaming machine is an ordinary mechanical slot machine. The slot machine contains a plurality of wheels, each wheel bearing a set of symbols. The configuration of symbols on each wheel determines a probability of obtaining any particular combination of symbols when playing the machine. Each combination is mapped, or associated with, an award. The machine includes, implicitly or explicitly, a xe2x80x9cpay tablexe2x80x9d which shows the award associated with each combination. When a player achieves a given combination, the machine maps that combination to the appropriate award (which may be zero), and pays the player accordingly.
The above-described mechanical slot machine can be replaced by an electronic version, but the principle of operation is still the same. Through appropriate random number generators, the machine derives a combination of symbols, and this combination is mapped directly to an award which is then paid to the player.
The direct-mapped systems of the prior art have several disadvantages. First, the games have limited variety. A conventional mechanical or electronic slot machine can function in essentially one way only, and the games playable on such machines tend to become boring to the player. Secondly, some direct-mapped systems of the prior art allow little or no opportunity for a player to exercise a degree of skill. In the example of the slot machine, the player has no role in the determination of the eventual award, other than by inserting money and pushing a button to operate the machine.
A third disadvantage of the direct-mapped systems of the prior art relates to legal requirements. Some jurisdictions permit only gaming devices which function as lotteries, i.e. games in which there is a finite pool of prizes from which to draw. A pure slot machine, of the type which spins a set of wheels (either mechanical or virtual) to obtain a combination of symbols, is not a true lottery, as described above, because the number of potential prizes of a particular category is, at least in theory, unlimited. While a direct-mapped system can be used with a true lottery, such systems are difficult to implement, at least in part because the probability of each possible outcome changes as the pool of awards is depleted, and this changing probability must be appropriately modeled by the system.
Another disadvantage of systems of the prior art results from legal restrictions on xe2x80x9cbonusxe2x80x9d awards. Some jurisdictions effectively limit the use of bonus or secondary event awards, by requiring that such awards not be counted in determining the net payout of a gaming device. These rules tend to limit the flexibility available to the designer of a game. The reverse-mapped system of the present invention provides more flexibility, and can be more easily tailored to comply with local regulations while still providing a varied and entertaining game, through the use of bonus and secondary event simulations that are reverse-mapped from pre-determined award outcomes.
It has been known to provide a lottery-type game which includes a pool of a fixed number of plays, all having pre-selected winning and losing outcomes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,035, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, describes such a system. Due to the fact that all of the outcomes and displays are pre-selected, the entertainment value of the game is limited. Such games also do not lend themselves to the application of skill in determining the outcome.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,197, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses an electronic lottery system. In one embodiment, the latter system simulates a bowling game, and presents a display to the player corresponding to a winning or losing play, depending on whether the system has electronically selected a win or a loss. The latter system, however, is limited in the variety of games that can be constructed. Also, the patented system does not provide a convenient means for incorporating an element of player skill into the game, or for providing one or more bonus awards to players. The present invention comprises a substantial improvement over the above-described patents.
The present invention provides a gaming system and method which solves all of the problems mentioned above. The system of the present invention provides games which are more exciting, and more varied, as perceived by the player. The present invention makes it more feasible to incorporate aspects of skill into the play. The invention also makes it possible to provide multiple award sequences. simulated secondary awards, and/or bonus awards to players. The present invention provides games which can be easily modified, by simple software changes only, to change the character of the games. Finally, the present invention is especially suitable for use with lottery-type games, and is therefore suitable for use in jurisdictions which require finite pools of awards in a gaming system.
The present invention comprises a gaming system and method in which the outcome of a play is determined first, and then the outcome is mapped to a symbol suitable for display to the player. The method is called xe2x80x9creverse mappingxe2x80x9d because the outcome is determined first, and is then associated with, or mapped to, a symbol which corresponds to that outcome. In most cases, the outcome can be reverse-mapped to any one of a plurality of symbol combinations, so the mapping function is, in general, not one-to-one.
The invention can be practiced with lottery-type games, or with other games. An example of a non-lottery game, which, by definition, uses an infinite xe2x80x9cpoolxe2x80x9d of awards, could be an electronic slot machine. In the latter case, the system determines an outcome, without depleting any pool of awards, using a predetermined probability distribution. The system then reverse-maps that outcome to a symbol combination which is displayed to the player. If each of a plurality of symbols corresponds to the same outcome, then the system must choose randomly among them, to determine which symbol is to be displayed. Because the xe2x80x9cpoolxe2x80x9d is not depleted, the probability of obtaining a particular award does not change from play to play.
When using the present invention in a lottery-type game, having a finite pool of awards, the system chooses a game set element from the finite pool. Each game set element is coded for a particular award, and/or for a bonus award, so the choice of the game set element determines what award can be won by the player. Then, the system associates (reverse-maps) that award with a symbol to be displayed to the player, consistent with the value of the award. For each play, the game set element is withdrawn from the pool, so the probability of selecting a particular game set element in the pool varies from play to play. By contrast, in a game which uses an infinite game set, a game set element is selected randomly for each play, and the probability of selecting a particular game set element does not vary from play to play.
The reverse-mapped game can be combined with an element of skill to provide an even more varied and entertaining game. For example, in a lottery-type game based on video poker, the system selects a game set element, from a pool, the game set element representing a xe2x80x9cbestxe2x80x9d hand achievable by the player on that particular play. The system deals cards to the player, and gives the player the chance to hold or replace each card, according to the rules of poker. If the player chooses an optimal or other pre-determined strategy, the system fulfills the player""s choice with cards which correspond to the maximum award associated with the game set element. If the player chooses a sub-optimal strategy, then the system may fulfill the player""s choice with cards corresponding to an amount which is less than or equal to the maximum award amount. The difference between the maximum possible award and the amount actually awarded to the player may be placed in an electronic xe2x80x9cbankxe2x80x9d which can be added to the awards available on subsequent plays. A plurality of player terminals can be linked together, and the un-awarded amounts from one terminal can be added to a common xe2x80x9cbankxe2x80x9d shared by all of the terminals. In this way, the entertainment value of the game is still further enhanced.
Games made according to the present invention can be varied still further by drawing two or more game set elements from the same game set, or from different game sets, especially in response to a multiple wager by the player, adding the values of these elements, and reverse-mapping the result to an appropriate symbol display. The award displayed to the player may be the same as the sum of the values of the selected game set elements, or it may be less, in which case the system deposits the unawarded portion into one or more funds used to support bonus plays, progressive awards, or xe2x80x9cmysteryxe2x80x9d awards. In this way, the games created by the present invention include a substantial degree of unpredictability, from the point of view of the player, even though the system pays out, in the aggregate, the same percentage to players. In one simple example, a two-credit game, played according to the present invention, has a substantially different appearance from a one-credit game, even where the game set elements are otherwise the same. The above variations can be applied both to the case of lottery games and non-lottery games, and can be used with games of pure chance and games involving an element of skill.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the system selects a game set element from a finite pool, each game set element being coded either with an amount to be awarded or a symbol indicating a bonus award. If the game set element contains an amount, the player may win that amount, or some lesser amount (in which case the balance is added to a separate bonus fund), the outcome being determined randomly or according to a pre-determined probability distribution. If the selected game set element is coded or is otherwise determined to be applied as a bonus award, the player may receive all or part of the stored bonus fund, either in a single award or in a multi-step display/award sequence. Thus, in this embodiment, the player may receive an amount which is equal to or less than an amount shown on the game set element. Bonus awards can also be made where the game set element is not specially coded for a bonus, and can be awarded in multiple steps.
The invention has the advantage that it greatly facilitates the construction of varied and entertaining games. Moreover, a given game can be changed without making any hardware changes, and by making only minor software adjustments, i.e. by changing a game set xe2x80x9ctemplatexe2x80x9d used to create a pool of game set elements to be stored in a computer memory. The invention requires no probabilistic analysis of the display symbols, because these symbols are selected only after the outcome is determined. Moreover, because a given outcome can be mapped, in general, to a plurality of different symbols, the game as perceived. by the player is much more varied than comparable games of the prior art.
In another embodiment, the invention includes a video lottery poker game which may comprise one or more draws from finite pools of game set elements. In one version of this embodiment, an initial hand is presented to the player, the hand being determined by a game set element drawn from a finite pool. Unless the initial hand is a winner, in which case an award is made and the game ends, the player is given the opportunity to decide which cards to hold or replace, in an attempt to create a winning hand. Based in part on the cards initially dealt, and in part on the strategy selected by the player, the system selects another pool of game set elements from which to draw. If this second draw produces a winning hand, the player receives an award. In another version of the above game, the initial hand is determined by random calculation, and not by drawing an element from a finite pool. The game is otherwise the same as in the previous version.
The present invention therefore has the primary object of providing a method and system for playing a game, wherein the outcome of each play of the game is reverse-mapped to a symbol to be displayed to a player.
The invention has the further object of enhancing the variety and entertainment value of existing games.
The invention has the further object of providing a variety of possible games using the same gaming equipment.
The invention has the further object of providing a gaming system and method which. can be used either with lottery-type games or with games which have no fixed pool of awards.
The invention has the further object of providing a reverse-mapped gaming system and method, in which the skill of the player can affect the amount won in the game.
The invention has the further object of providing a reverse-mapped gaming system and method, suitable for use with a plurality of gaming terminals linked together in a network.
The invention has the further object of providing a game which can be easily modified.
The invention has the further object of providing a gaming system and method wherein a single game set can be used to operate a plurality of different games having differing structures, as perceived by a player.
The invention has the further object of providing games which include bonus awards, or multiple award sequences, and which enhance the unpredictability of the games from the point of view of the player.
The invention has the further object of providing games involving skill, such as video poker.
The invention has the further object of providing a game in which a player has more than one chance to win, on a given play.
The invention has the further object of providing a game in which the skill of a player may affect the amount awarded to the player, and the amount added to a bonus fund for later distribution.
The reader skilled in the art will recognize other objects and advantages of the present invention, from a reading of the following brief description of the drawings, the detailed description of the invention, and the appended claims.